Explore

Trending Topics

inn-award-2024-c18
Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal
Inside The Narwhal

The Narwhal wins INNovator Award for seizing opportunity in crisis

The Institute for Nonprofit News awarded The Narwhal’s efforts to strengthen direct relationships with our readers amid the news ban on Facebook and Instagram
By
Sept. 19, 2024 2 min. read

The Narwhal’s response to the fallout from Canada’s Online News Act has taken home an innovation award from the Institute for Nonprofit News, a network of more than 450 independent media organizations that includes only a handful of Canadian members. 

The INNovator Award, which The Narwhal won in the medium division, highlights work that has a positive financial impact on a newsroom and will help serve its community or audience into the future.

Last summer, when the federal government passed the Online News Act, Meta and Google both threatened to block all news content for users in our country. Instead of panicking, we saw an opportunity to start building more direct relationships with our audience.

Those efforts turned out to be pretty successful: thousands of you signed up for our newsletter and hundreds became members of The Narwhal.

Investigating problems. Exploring solutions
The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for a weekly dose of independent journalism.
Investigating problems. Exploring solutions
The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for a weekly dose of independent journalism.

The honour from the Nonprofit News Awards recognizes the efforts of co-founder Carol Linnitt, audience engagement editor Karan Saxena and, well, me, our director of audience.

It’s a thrill to earn this award for finding ways to not only survive, but thrive, as a sustainable news organization in turbulent times.

Despite platforms like Facebook and Instagram permanently blocking news in Canada, The Narwhal’s journalism is being read by more people than ever — all while being supported by a growing number of members, now counting 6,500, who support us with a monthly or annual donation.

(You can hear more about how we’re connecting with audiences in this interview I did with CBC’s On The Coast.)

The fellow INNovator Award finalist in the medium division was Documented NY, for its audience research to connect with Caribbean and Chinese immigrants of New York. 

More ways you can stay connected with The Narwhal

Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.

And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.

In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to thank you for paying attention. And if you’re able to donate anything at all to help us keep doing this work in 2025 — which will bring a whole lot we can’t predict — thank you so very much.

Will you help us hold the powerful accountable in the year to come by giving what you can today?
Yes, I’ll support independent journalism
Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.

And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.

In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to thank you for paying attention. And if you’re able to donate anything at all to help us keep doing this work in 2025 — which will bring a whole lot we can’t predict — thank you so very much.

Will you help us hold the powerful accountable in the year to come by giving what you can today?
I’ll support independent journalism

Published By
Arik Ligeti is The Narwhal’s director of audience, with a focus on growing a dedicated community of members and readers. Arik prev...

See similar stories

media
Glyphosate__Inset3_Final
Most Shared

Glyphosate use in B.C. forestry, explained
By
Dec. 18, 2024 6 min. read

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. For decades, forestry companies in B.C. have used...

Continue reading

Recent Posts

View Older Stories

People always tell us they love our newsletter. Find out yourself with a weekly dose of our ad‑free, independent journalism
Get The Narwhal in your inbox!
People always tell us they love our newsletter. Find out yourself with a weekly dose of our ad‑free, independent journalism
Get The Narwhal in your inbox!

Our newsletter subscribers are the first to find out when we break a big story. Sign up for free →
I’m already subscribed
An illustration, in yellow, of a computer, with an open envelope inside it with letter reading 'Breaking news.'
I’m already subscribed
Cartoon title: Risks of reading The Narwhal. Illustration of a woman sitting with a computer that has a Narwhal sticker on a park bench. A narwhal sitting next to her reads her computer screen over the shoulder. Text reads: "Wait — the government did WHAT?"
More than 800 readers have already stepped up in December to support our investigative journalism. Will you help us break big stories in 2025 by making a donation this holiday season?
Yes, let’s make an impact!
Every new member between now and midnight Friday will have their contributions doubled by two generous donors.
DOUBLE MY DONATION
Let’s match
Every new member between now and midnight Friday will have their contributions doubled by two generous donors.
DOUBLE MY DONATION
Let’s match
Cartoon title: Risks of reading The Narwhal. Illustration of a woman sitting with a computer that has a Narwhal sticker on a park bench. A narwhal sitting next to her reads her computer screen over the shoulder. Text reads: "Wait — the government did WHAT?"
More than 800 readers have already stepped up in December to support our investigative journalism. Will you help us break big stories in 2025 by making a donation this holiday season?
Yes, let’s make an impact!